The invention is directed to a display system which is portable, free standing and can be readily erected, knocked-down, packed, transported, unpacked and/or repacked for display purposes at sales presentations, press conferences, conventions, seminars and the like. The display system of the present invention is designed to provide a relatively large display surface without sacrificing portability, and doing so through the utilization of stately columns and contemporary curves which provide an aesthetically attractive three dimensional presence, yet having the flexibility of being easily reconfigured into smaller or larger free standing displays or table top displays. The display system includes at least two columns spanned by a display panel, although for larger displays at least two columns or tubular end panels are stacked upon each other to form a single stacked column at opposite sides of the display with at least two stacked display panels therebetween.
The tubular end panels or columns of the present display system avoid the generally complexities of many conventional display systems, structurally improve the performance of the display system and particularly allow the display system to be readily set-up and knocked-down with a minimum of effort and in the absence of any tools whatsoever.
A display system over which the present display system constitutes an unobvious improvement is that disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/148,617 filed on Nov. 8, 1993 in the name of Wallace Thomas Carter which granted on Aug. 8, 1995 under U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,043. The latter display system includes at least one display panel and a column or tubular end panel secured to each side edge of the display panel with each column being formed from a sheet of resilient material having opposite edges disposed contiguous each other to thereby impart a generally hollow configuration to each column. A generally hollow tubular elongated member is secured to each opposite edge of the sheet and to a portion of the sheet approximately midway between the sheet opposite edges. When the sheet is disposed with its edges contiguous to each other, two of the tubular elongated members are adjacent each other and the third tubular elongated member is generally diametrically opposite thereto. The adjacent or contiguous tubular elongated members are secured to each other by, for example, magnetic strips and/or plastic spring clips and another generally U-shaped elongated member is secured to one of the sheet edges for securing each column to an associated edge of an associated display panel. In this fashion two relatively flat sheets of resilient material can be each formed into a column with each column being then secured to opposite vertical edges of a central display panel thereby forming a relatively aesthetic system. However, in each column the opposite contiguous side edges are in edge-to-edge substantially abutting relationship which necessarily places the U-shaped elongated member exteriorly of each column. Therefore, rather than the surfaces of the columns and the central panels appearing as a single unbroken continuous surface, the exposed U-shaped elongated members are visible and detract from the overall aesthetic appearance of the display system. The latter is emphasized if, as is often the case, the U-shaped elongated members are constructed from different material and different colored material than the material and color or colors of the columns and/or the display panels associated therewith. Therefore, while the display system of the latter-identified patent is far more aesthetically attractive than heretofore provided, improvements thereover are highly desirable, particularly in the competitive and cost conscious environment of portable displays.